Question by : Was Tsar Alexander II a genuine reformer?
Or was he merely trying to preserve autocracy?
(Facts, opinions, and evidence please.)
Answers and Views:
Answer by sparks9653
The emancipation law of 1861, which liberated more than 40 million serfs, has been called the greatest single legislative act in history. It was a moral stimulus to peasant self-dignity. Yet there were many problems. The peasants had to accept the allotments, and generally they did not receive enough land and were overcharged for it. Since they became obligated for the payment of taxes and redemption reimbursements, their mobility was greatly limited. The commune replaced the proprietor as master over the peasants. The settlement, however, was on the whole liberal, despite some unsolved problems and the agrarian crises that emerged in part from its inadequacies.
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gentleroger says
Tzar Alexander II was a reformer. He dramatically changed the nature of Russian society. He abolished serfdom (at least the legally), reorganized the 'civil service' and military, and changed Russian foreign policy. The changes that Alexander II instituted allowed for the Industrial Revolution to occur in Russia under his son.
Had he been only aiming to preserve the autocracy, Alexander II could have done much less. I believe that had he not been assassinated that the reforms would have continued and possibly could have prevented the 1917 Revolution.